Андрей Жуков

On January 25, 2018, the Il-78M-90A aircraft assembled at the Aviastar-SP plant in Ulyanovsk made its first flight. This modification does not have a refueling operator's aft cockpit, the D-30KP engines were replaced by PS-90A-76 engines with an increased bypass ratio and increased takeoff thrust, the specific fuel consumption is lower, which made it possible to increase the range and take more fuel for refueling aircraft. The possibility of converting into a military transport aircraft is provided.

IL-80 is not equipped with weapons. Aircraft protection is provided by fighter escort aircraft

The aircraft is designed to evacuate the country's top military leadership during a threatened period and simultaneously control the armed forces in a conflict of any degree of intensity, including a full-scale nuclear war. Equipped with communications, life support systems, a powerful power plant. Can work completely autonomously. The crew includes system operators and combat control officers. Detailed information on this aircraft is a state secret.

It was created on the basis of the Il-76MD aircraft and is intended for air refueling of military aircraft. Equipped with a hose-cone air filling system. Currently, this is the only specialized type of tanker aircraft in service with the Russian Air Force. It can also be used as a military transport aircraft (lost this ability in the Il-78M modification).

The Su-39 aircraft was a further development of a specialized "anti-tank" version of the Su-25T attack aircraft. The task of fighting tanks for the Su-39 was assumed to be important, but not dominant, like the Su-25T. It was assumed that the aircraft would be able to effectively destroy ships in coastal areas, transport and front-line aircraft of the enemy. The weaponry and avionics of the aircraft underwent significant processing.

Until now, it has been the world's only serial bomber and missile carrier with turboprop engines. It was a Soviet symbol of ensuring military-strategic parity in the Cold War. It remains in service as a carrier of cruise missiles, including such as the X-101, due to lower fuel consumption than jet aircraft, and most importantly, greater stealth from SBIRS satellites, capable of observing large jet-powered strategic bombers by exhausts from the latter. The National Interest notes that it is rather naive to consider the Tu-95 an "obsolete weapon", since in fact nothing is required of such an aircraft except to fly long range, and its real weapons are the latest cruise missiles - such as the X-101, which, when ranges of 5500 km allow the Tu-95 to “with impunity” attack targets outside the range of any air defense systems. The practical use of the Tu-95 in Syria proved that the aircraft is not an "abstract nuclear deterrent", but can actually be used in modern local wars.